My company began implementing the best practices defined by ITIL several years ago with somewhat limited success. More recently we have started down the SOA [service oriented architecture] pathway as well. I am having difficulty either understanding or explaining how the “services” of SOA differ from the “services” of ITIL. Can you help?
Burt
Hi Burt,
First let’s define some terms. SOA is the acronym for “service-oriented architecture.” Most often it’s thought of as a software architecture that defines the use of loosely coupled software services in support of (enabling) business processes. Conceptually software services are made available via the network (WAN and or LAN) as standalone services that can be used without the user knowing of or having a requirement to understand how they were implemented. Think of it as architecting a software utility. The logical extension of the concept is architecting the entire IT infrastructure as a utility service that incorporates both the application software and its delivery platform.
The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is the source of guidance on what an IT organization needs to think about in order to provide the components of the IT infrastructure as a set of services to the business user in support of the business customer’s execution of IT enabled business processes. IT Service Management (ITSM) then is the subject of the IT Infrastructure Library. It provides the guidance for an IT organization to deliver and directly support IT services.
Probably the easiest way to think about ITIL (actually ITSM) and SOA is that IT Service Management provides the necessary guidance for an IT organization to plan, design, develop, deploy and support business aligned IT Services. These services include the hardware, software and other IT assets necessary as well as the overall guidance for the IT organization in the provision of these services. Therefore ITSM provides the necessary underpinning processes required to realize an infrastructure delivery platform that would support a Service-oriented Architecture.
Thanks again, and I hope this helps -- David Nichols